How To Get More Headshots In CS2 (CSGO) [Improve Your Aim]

Proper Crosshair Placement

Crosshair placement and high headshot percentage are two things that go hand-in-hand. In my opinion, crosshair placement is the most essential factor in getting headshots in CS2 (CSGO).

Having your crosshair pre-aimed at an enemy’s head effectively reduces the time you take to adjust your crosshair, giving you a massive advantage in the gunfight if the enemy is not ready.

Here are a few pointers to help you improve your crosshair placement in CS2 (CSGO):

• Understanding the maps: CS2 (CSGO) maps differ in terrain, design, and elevation, so your job is to understand everything the maps offer. By familiarizing yourself with a map, you will understand where an enemy’s head would be positioned in the most common positions.

• Head level differs depending on distance: Distance plays a key part in where your crosshair should be placed. If you’re close, you can place your crosshair usually, but if you’re peeking at an enemy far away, consider lowering your crosshair placement.

• Jiggle peeking: Jiggle peeking is a technique where you quickly turn a corner, revealing only half of your body to try and spot enemy positions. The goal is to try to bait a shot out of them to reveal their position. Once their position is known, you can pre-aim your crosshair accordingly.

Pre-Aiming Common Angles

Speaking of pre-aiming your crosshair, let’s understand what it means and how it can help you get more headshots. I think pre-aiming is a secondary part of crosshair placement, as proper usage can further decrease the effort you need to move your mouse.

Every map has common angles that players like to hide behind. You can aim your crosshair where you expect these players to be, and once you swing, it will already be aimed at their head.

The trick to pre-aiming is to aim your crosshair at the wall before swinging. You must envision where the enemy would be standing once you peek out, which shouldn’t be too hard if you’re predicting a common angle. Once your crosshair is aimed accordingly at the wall, you can perform a wide swing. Since your crosshair is pre-aimed, you will have the advantage in the aim duel.

Understanding Shooting Styles

In CS2 (CSGO), I think it’s imperative for all players to understand the three main shooting styles. Using the proper style in the correct situation will increase your accuracy, leading to a higher headshot percentage.

There are three main types of shooting styles, which we’ll cover one by one:

1. Spraying

2. Bursting

3. Tapping

The best weapons to spray with are:

• AK-47

• M4A1-S/M4A4

• Any SMG Weapon

You must understand that the CS2 (CSGO) spray pattern and method differs between weapons. For example, you must have minimal movement while spraying with rifles, but you can run and gun when using SMGs.

Skilled players who understand the recoil pattern for every weapon can control their spray pattern enough to get headshots while spraying. It requires a lot of practice, but trust me, it will pay off. Getting three headshots spraying down enemies with one magazine feels more satisfying.

Bursting

Burst firing is a shooting style between the two other styles. When bursting, you aim to shoot 2 to 5 bullets at a time, ensuring that these bullets are controlled. When bursting with rifles, you must slightly pull down your weapon to control the recoil. By bursting, you will have 2 to 5 bullets to try and hit the enemy’s head.

You want to burst fire when you are in mid-ranged gunfights. An example would be fighting an enemy in Sniper’s Nest while you are on Top Mid in the map Mirage.

The best weapons to tap with are:

• AK-47

• M4A1-S/M4A4

• MP9

Other SMG weapons can also be viable bursting options in close-mid-ranged duels. You’re looking to kill an enemy with one or two bursts with a rifle or three to five bursts with an SMG.

Tapping

Tapping is a shooting style where you only shoot one bullet at a time instead of shooting bursts or committing to a spray. Tapping is beneficial for players who have insane aim and crosshair placement, such as ScreaM, as the strategy is to rely on your first bullet accuracy.

You want to tap fire when you are in long-ranged gunfights. An example would be fighting an enemy in A Long Pit while you are on A Site in the map Dust II.

The best weapons to tap with are:

• AK-47

• Desert Eagle

• USP-S

The most important thing about tapping is waiting until your gun model resets to its original position. Returning to the original position means the recoil is completely reset, and your first bullet will be accurate again.

Practice Makes Perfect

I know you guys are tired of hearing this, but it’s impossible to reap significant headshot percentages without practice. 

There are many ways to practice your headshot aim in CS2 (CSGO), but I highly recommend creating an aim training routine or working on a particular aspect one step at a time. Your training can be light or intense. The most important thing is to stick to it, maintaining consistency.

Aim Training Routines

You can have any type of aim training routine. Some ideas that inspire you may include:

• Joining a headshot-only Deathmatch community server and setting a kill goal (e.g. 300 kills)

• Using Aim Lab training modes

• Spending a set amount of time on aim training workshop maps

Working On A Particular Aspect

As discussed throughout the article, there are many aspects that affect your aim and headshot rate. I recommend working on these aspects one at a time, mastering each before going to the next one.

Some important aiming aspects you can train include:

Crosshair Placement

Go into a private server and load into each of the CS2 (CSGO) maps in the Competitive Map Pool. Walk around the map, maintaining crosshair placement at head level. 

Flicking

Go into a training map like Aim Botz and spawn some bots. Choose a bot to flick to, and move your crosshair away from that bot. Then, practice flicking onto the bot’s head as fast as possible. 

Tracking

The act of following moving targets. Many aim training maps in the Community Workshop have the option for the bots to start moving. Enable this option and focus on following a moving bot’s head. Do not shoot the bot, but keep tracking the head for 10-20 seconds and repeat.